@Jeffy:
I've just played a hacked version (no windmills) too. The best result I could get was 32.07 seconds (just pressing fire all the time). When I started to move the plane up and down (without colliding) the times slightly increased up to about 32.5 seconds.

Hm, how could Todd get 32.04 seconds, when you loose time while moving the plane up and down

Maybe there are different versions existing, with slightly different timing. Or there is a trick hidden inside the game. Must check the code...

The best i've gotten so far is 32.8 but there were little tiny mistakes here and there. Every tiny extra movement that isn't necessary such as going a little too low through the barns or maybe flying a little too high to avoid the birds adds hundredths of seconds. 8 tenths of a second isn't that much and all those tiny imperfections add up.

...best result I could get was 32.07 seconds...how could Todd get 32.04 seconds...Must check the code...

Thanx for the reply Thomas. I was thinking that would be your results too. I also hacked out all of the windmills and had the very same time.

This is why I raised the question about the validity of the time. If you look on TG, it lists the time as being "Referee Confirmed" too. There is no possible way to get that time on a normal production cartridge. So far, my best time is 32.920, but I know it can be slightly improved. But almost a full second better is not possible.

So what does this say about Twin Galaxies? If we are to believe their rankings and compete against people associated with TG, how can we be sure we're all getting a fair shake? I'm not saying that TG is bogus, but there might be some bad apples in the bunch.

As far as getting a 32.04, it's not possible on the ROM or the actual cartridge. The game is designed to slow your horizontal progress every time you change your vertical position. Thus, a perfect game would use no vertical movement. By hacking out only the windmills graphics and no kernal code, you should be able to simulate a perfect game. With such a hacked ROM, the best possible score is 32.07. There is [b]no 32.04.

Hmmmm.... I should probably head this off at the pass before it turns into a supposed witch hunt.

I'm not doubting the absolute integrity of Twin Galaxies. Their sole purpose is not to allow fakers and cheaters to beat their chest. They have been a constant beacon for video game score tracking for many years. I do, however, want to raise serious questions about the criteria for submitting and validating scores.

Atari that perform (time) differently?

This seems to be the main theory about erroneous timing issues. If this is true, then how can you compare gamers' scores against each other and how can you possibly have a contest involving these potentially differently performing games?

Regardless of how or who, the issue of unachievable scores should be addressed seriously and carefully if there are to be competetive benchmarks set. If we are to accept that "some cartridges time differently" or that "some consoles run slower/faster than others" then there has to be a way to level the playing field. Otherewise, you could just set your 2600 in the freezer long enough to slow down the processors and have [b]incredible scores. (That's just an unfounded theory, by the way.)

Technically, I'm 100% sure it's not an emulator problem and a slower running VCS would cause the whole game to run slower not only the clock (because both is done with software).

The only idea I have is, that it might have been a PAL version. Normally Activision made their PAL conversions very simple and did not adjust the gameplay to the slower framerate (e.g. 20 minutes in a PAL Pitfall, last 24 minutes). So, I think we should check this.

That's the only flaw I found about the 2600 records on TG, they don't differentiate between NTSC and PAL.

I'm just asking, but should I know who Todd Rodgers is? Does he have some type of high score prestige with Twin Galaxies?

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Todd Rogers, back in the early 80's, was hired by Activision to travel the US and promote their games. He was, at that time, THE premier home videogame player in the US. To this day, he is still among the top 3.